Hey Elevaters!
August has come around very quickly, meaning it’s time for your monthly dose of global team updates and celebrations in our Around the Grounds update.
So, what is each team up to at the moment? The UK team and a lot of our US presenters are still unwinding and rejuvenating over their summer break with new presenters being onboarded as we speak for the 24-25 academic year. Team Aus and South Africa are continuing to do their thing as end of year exams appear on the horizon and revision begins to ramp up.
As well as taking a deep dive into each team’s achievements this past month, in this update, we’ll also be sharing spotlight features on team members who’ve been charging hard in July, upholding that Elevate standard of excellence and helping us help more kids!
So, let’s dive in and check out what’s been happening since we last caught up!
Team Aus
Our team over in Aus has come back from the break raring to go, meaning they’ve had an awesome start to Term 3.
Alongside our standout performers, we have photos of our presenters’ travels, induction dinners, and even some Elevater holiday snaps...
But first, let's celebrate our Coach and Presenter of the month.
Aus Presenter of the Month
Damien
In an absolutely stellar effort, it is Damien who is our Aus Presenter of the Month – for the second month in a row!
Damien has continued to top the presenting leaderboard in Aus, getting awesome stats at 98.44% with a teacher feedback score of 9.33. Absolutely incredible work, Damien!
We asked Damien what it is he keeps in mind when presenting to ensure he always get great feedback from students and teachers - here’s what he said:
"My main motivator for delivering sems is helping the kids. It’s the core reason which motivates me as a presenter to show up and give the sems to the best of my ability. The best way to make sure you're giving an awesome sem is to make sure that the kids are getting something out of it. As long as you tailor a sem to the needs in the room, everyone will walk out happy."
Well it certainly seems to be working! Congrats on another amazing month Damien.
Standout Feedback
Elle & Michaela
"Thank you to Elle and Michaela, they were great!’"
Grace
"Our presenter was a wonderful, confident speaker and very personable. She provided instruction very clearly and her personal anecdotes were very valuable. The students very much appreciated her efforts in her delivery."
Harry & Mia
"Harry and Mia had extensive written feedback about how well they tailored their sessions to the students in the room."
Aus Coach of the Month
Mischa
And it’s Mischa from team NSW who has been named Aus Coach of the Month for July! Since training back in December last year, Mischa has been crushing the coaching game, helping students stay motivated across the school year and getting awesome feedback.
Here’s what Mischa loves most about coaching:
"What I've loved most about being an Elevate coach is seeing the real difference that each of the modules makes, and students becoming more comfortable as our sessions go on. Seeing that moment when a student goes "Oh!", when they finally get it, is so incredibly satisfying, and when they tell me four or six weeks in, that "Hey, that thing we did in the first few sessions has been really helpful!" is absolutely wonderful."
Amazing stuff, Mischa! Well done!
Standout Feedback
Riley
"It was fabulous. We were really impressed. He went at a pace that we could understand and gave them a lot of information. They were nervous but Riley cut through that a little bit and got them really comfortable. The boys like him and can't wait to continue with him and felt quite relatable to him. Didn't talk above them. I like that he was diving deeper and asked more questions.’"
Kiesha
"Kiesha is excellent and gets along really well with Darren. She works very hard."
Tash
"Tash was brilliant and really connected with my daughter. I appreciated it highly the way she approached her and her genuine interest in her week and also working with her and knuckling in. Tash had made it quite flexible as well.’"
Slack Channel Highlights
Team WA
Team WA have posted: a group pic from Sarah, celebrating two first sem debuts; a group selfie from Antigone; photo evidence from Annika that her example mental journey is in fact a true story; a video from Sanjay capturing a news-worthy astrological event at Comet Bay; a video from Bhakti congratulating Taniya on her graduation;.
The Aus team have got quite the reputation for their lyrical talents over the past few months, and Bhakti has kept this trend going with a heartwarming birthday sonnet for fellow presenter, Michael:
In summer’s bloom, the day has come to sing,
For Michael Ko, whose heart and spirit bright,
The joys of life and love he ever brings,
A beacon shining in the darkest night.
With wisdom deep and laughter pure as gold,
He walks through life with grace and steadfast cheer,
A friend to all, his stories oft retold,
In Michael’s presence, there’s no room for fear.
This day we gather, hearts and voices raised,
To honor him, whose kindness knows no bound,
Through trials faced, in every way amazed,
A soul whose worth in every smile is found.
So, on this birthday, may your dreams take flight,
Dear Michael Ko, may joy be your birthright.
Beautiful stuff there, Bhakti – is there anyone who can step up to the challenge of topping this next month?
Team VIC
Team Vic have shared: a Term 3 newbie post from Vincent; an induction dinner pic for said newbies – welcome, Amy, Khushi, Maya, Hedy, Georgia, David and Cherry (+Keira!) - welcome all!; a photo from Sofia of an Elevater trip to Albania; a photo from Nelson capturing the passing-on of Nick’s retro Elevate hoodie from Isaac to another Elevate generation; a photo from Alessia of Team VIC’s netball team, P-O-T-S of Gold taking their first loss gracefully; and perhaps the jewel in the crown of Team Vic’s July posts, a video of Nelson’s iconic performance of ‘Rasputin’.
Team NSW
From Team NSW, we have: a post from Jasmine taken after her first time watching a sem; a photo from Sophia after swinging by to crash Victoria, Bethany, Jennifer and Genevieve’s pre-sem lunch where Wes also made an appearance; an animal-themed group selfie from Moneli; and another induction dinner snap from Jennifer, welcoming other newbies Kiera, Anne, Jasmine, Adam and Allanah – a huge welcome from the rest of the team to all our new presenters joining us for term 3!
Team QLD
Team QLD have been posting; some great first-sem pics from Hannah, Marissa, Raisa and Will; some fantastic photos from Kiara from her flight out to Townsville – Isaac also shared some snaps from his own visit; a photo from Mt Isa from Jemma; and two induction dinner posts from Ethan and Kiara, welcoming Braeden, Lindsey, Will, Tim, Samantha, Raisa, Jamie and Emma – welcome to the team!
Team SA
As the SA team welcome August, they’ve well and truly earned the opportunity to reflect on the efforts and achievements of July – and the rest of the year so far. To do just that, our
presenters and coaches got together at End of Term Drinks across the country to celebrate.
Since returning from the break, team South Africa have hit the ground running, conducting student preparation sessions for the upcoming exams in both the Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and school space.
We’ll take a look at some photo highlights from both CSI and school sessions, as well as some great photos from their EOT drinks. But before we do that, we want to give a special shoutout to those who have gone above and beyond to make a difference in July.
South African Presenter of the Month
Tumelo
Tumelo, a real star of the South African team, is our South African Presenter of the Month for the second time this year! With consistently great feedback and a true passion for helping the kids, Tumelo’s performance continues to blow away teachers, students and the team as a whole.
We asked Tumelo what she’s been enjoying in presenting since we last caught up with her, and here’s what she said:
“I’ve enjoyed the return of the CSI sessions. It is always a privilege to make an impact on students who don’t have access to specialised resources like ours. I’m happy to continue this meaningful work with the team.’"
Phenomenal effort here Tumelo, a huge well done – we can’t wait to see what you achieve in Term 3!
Standout Feedback
Lerato and Mmalesedi
‘Both the presenters were very knowledgeable and related well with the learners.’
South African Coach of the Month
Onkarabile
And our South African Coach of the Month for July is Onkarabile! Another team member who has been praised for her dedication and commitment to the coaching role in the past. With a real skill for building rapport with students and helping them achieve their academic goals, Onkarabile is an awesome example of what it means to be an Elevate coach.
We asked her if there’s anything in particular she’s learned over the past 3 months that has enabled her to become a better coach, and here’s what she said:
“Over the past few months, I've loved seeing students go from being shy and unmotivated to confident and proactive. Letting them suggest ideas for our mini breaks has helped them take charge of their learning journey. It's been incredibly fulfilling to watch their confidence and academic skills grow with personalized feedback and encouragement.”
Awesome tip there, Onkarabile, thank you!
Team Photos
CSI Sessions
Our South African business team supports disadvantaged students in townships by partnering with some of the country's largest corporations through social investment programmes. Below you can see some photos of the team delivering these sessions.
School Sems
And of course, alongside the CSI workshops, our team have also been delivering sems directly to schools, ensuring students are equipped with all the skills they need to tackle the rest of the school year.
End of Term Drinks
And lastly, we have a great selection of photos taken by our South African Head of Talent, Siya, at End of Term drinks. Well done again, team, for a fantastic Term 2 – we hope you had the best time celebrating!
Team UK
Having now wrapped up for the Summer, the UK team are now enjoying their time off and are recharging for what will hopefully be a big year ahead. As a result, very few sems were run across July, meaning we don’t have a Presenter of the Month for the UK this time around...
However, what we do have is our Coach of the Month and our UK National Award winners – including a video of the awards event which took place in the UK London office.
Scroll down to check out the above – and more!
UK Coach of the Month
Yaw
Congrats, Yaw! You’re our UK Coach of the Month for July!
Yaw has smashed out straight 10s this month with his coaching sessions. This is a huge achievement, but it’s particularly impressive during the holidays when it can be trickier to keep a student focused and engaged. Great work, Yaw.
We asked Yaw what part of the coaching process he most enjoys - here’s what he said:
"It's extremely rewarding to accompany a student in their journey to actualising their full academic potential, and to see their growth as young people. Oftentimes, students start the programme with all of the natural ability and potential to do very well in their exams, however, just as often, students may lack the self-belief and the confidence that is required to do well in their exams. Enabling the evolvement of a student’s mindset and personality is the essence of our roles as coaches.’"
A great approach to coaching which really encompasses the ‘IQ isn’t everything’ outlook we have here at Elevate. Thanks, Yaw, keep up the great work.
Standout Coaching Feedback
Anushka
"Very helpful as always can't wait for the next session.’"
Ethan
"Thank you very much! I enjoyed it a lot and found it very useful and I can see a change in my work!!’"
Alfie
‘Alfie is actually the BOMB thank you so much for pairing us!’
Riazul
‘Great session definitely helped me to understand what to do for exams in the future.’
National Awards
The end of July saw the annual UK National Awards event take place at the office in London. If you’ve joined Elevate recently and aren’t sure what National Awards are, we’ll give you a quick rundown: this is when all coaches and presenters who won Regional Awards come together for a day of learning, development and most importantly, to announce and celebrate the National Award winners of each category. It’s an incredible opportunity to connect, share experiences, and reflect on the outstanding achievements of our coaches, presenters and office team members throughout the year.
This year, UK GM, Lina, put together an awesome itinerary, including an Elevate trivia challenge, a Q&A with our Global Head of Marketing, Tyler, and a talk on resilience from our UK Head of Coaching, Jess, and Finance Coordinator and Coaching Assistant, Alex. The day was rounded out with the announcement of the award winners, all of which you can see below. After this, the team headed out for dinner in the city to celebrate.
A huge congrats to all of our winners and nominees! Check out the event video and photos below!:
🏆 Presenter of the Year - Nehemiah Yeboah
🏆 TL of the Year - Johnston Tan
🏆 Coach of the Year - Anushka Rajani
🏆 Consultant of the Year - Jules Dudley
🏆 Office member of the Year - Lily Jones
Team US
The school year also wrapped up last month for our US team, but with summer schools still running, many of our presenters have still been out and about helping the kids and getting some fantastic feedback.
Let’s take a look at the presenter who really stood out in July...
US Presenter of the Month
Martina
A huge well done, Martina, for charging hard this past month - you're our US Presenter of the Month for July! Delivering 16 quality sessions to over 700 students, Martina has put in an amazing amount of effort in July, even fitting in a quick trip over to LA with the team. Way to go!
We asked Martina what kind of skills she's developed while presenting:
“My favorite part about working at Elevate is the fact that every seminar pushes me to become a better presenter. My public speaking skills have improved tremendously. I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with not only being in front of a room, but also speaking clearly, concisely, and with intention. My creativity has grown as I’ve either had to think on the spot of a way to get the students engaged, or haved brainstormed ideas beforehand. And one of the most important skills that the job has taught me is the ability to adapt to different environments. Every seminar provides a chance to try something different and I learn something new about myself every single time!”
Standout Feedback
Martina, Moses & Kaira
"Very impressed with the quality of the engagement and the natural connection with students the presenters had. The presenters were GREAT at affirming feedback, great at soft teaching skills, even newer people had strong base-level of engagement.’"
Elias
"Elias was praised on his ability to get students talking and engaged."
Jamie
"Jamie was great!"
Slack Channel Highlights
As it was certainly a quieter month for the team, the US slack channel was a little more bare than usual, but we do have these awesome pics from Kaira from a presenting trip out to California. Thanks for sharing, Kaira!
And if you haven’t already, make sure you take a look at our latest Meet the Team with US 2iC and Senior BDM, Tabel!
This is the second of our video interviews with office members from around the global team and it offers some great insight into the BDM role, so be sure to check it out.
And that’s it for July’s Around the Ground recap! We hope you enjoyed catching up on the goings on around the Elevate offices, but before you go, we’d love to know if any of your Elevate teammates have been doing anything awesome (in or out of Elevate) that deserves a shoutout. Let us know below!
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